Human trafficking thrives in an environment of worker exploitation and engenders forced labor, debt bondage and other egregious labor abuse. The most effective way to address this scourge, says Neha Misra, Solidarity Center senior specialist on migration and human trafficking, is by empowering workers to have a voice in their workplace and supporting their right to organize and join unions.

Misra testified in the U.S. House today during a hearing on Global Trends in Trafficking and Forced Labor held by the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission. The hearing examined issues related to human trafficking and forced labor, including recruitment agencies, business transparency, employment-based visa trafficking and supply chain monitoring.

“Immigrant workers are particularly vulnerable to human trafficking,” said Misra. “Unsafe migration processes and the lack of labor and other legal protections for immigrant workers make them an easy target for traffickers in the form of unscrupulous labor recruiters and employers.”